Search Results: Authors starting with A from Auger Down Books

Philadelphia: Henszey and Co, 1860. Albumen photograph measuring 3 ½ x 2 ½ inches on mount. Excellent condition with clipped corners and minimal wear. Near Fine. Rachel Wilson Moore, a Quaker from Philadelphia who had strong anti-slavery views, traveled to the Caribbean and South America in the 1860s to try to save her ailing health. She published her journals from the trip under the title Journal of Rachel Wilson Moore, Kept During a Tour to the West Indies and South America, in 1863-64 With Notes from the Diary of her Husband; together with His Memoir. The book described the conditions of the enslaved people in the Caribbean, which she considered to be worse than the conditions in the American South. Offered here is a photograph of Moore, identified on the verso, from the Philadelphia studio Henszey & Co., likely from the late 1860s, showing an elderly Moore in a bonnet. We find no other records of the image.

Cincinnati: Corey and Fairbank, 1834. First Edition. 47 pages, complete; 8 7/8" x 5 ⅜." Slight odor else near fine, very good minus overall. Very Good. The Lane Seminary debates were perhaps the most extended and famous of many colonization versus emancipation debates that happened in the 1830s. "Founded in 1829, Lane was bakrolled by Arthur Tappan and headed by Henry Ward Beecher. In 1831 a Rev. Samuel Crothers published letters against slavery in a local paper, and a year later Stanton, a student at Lane, held that the North should not help the South put down a slave rebellion. In 1834 Weld and his followers from Oneida became students at Lane. With the charismatic Weld leading off, students armed with literature from the ACS and AASS explored immediatism for eighteen days in two-hour-plus sessions... to the dismay of the administration, the students not only formed an anti-slavery society but also started teaching in Cincinnati's black community. Contact with African Americans made the Lane… Read More

New Britain, 1855. Letter measuring 8 x 5 inches, folded. Fine condition. Fine.

Brooklyn, 1893. Single page. Some tears at creases, else about fine, very good overall. Very Good. A letter written by Thaddeus Hyatt to the editor of the New York Tribune, in response to a letter written by Eli Thayer on William Lloyd Garrison entitled "Garrison and his Creed." Hyatt takes issue with Thayer's portrayal of Garrison. He writes: "I think it is a great pity that so practical a man in Eli thayer, and who confessedly did a great work for Kansas (for which I have alwqays honored him) - should end his days as a Don Quixote, for he might just as well hope to bring down Gibraltar with a pop-gun as to think that he can change the verdict which coming generations will surely take upon the men he so grossly misrepresents and defames.... I am not a non-resistant; but my heart was with Mr. Garrison always in all his burning utterances against Slavery. Garrison, Phillips and John Brown need no defenders. Mr Thayer only hurts himself, and I respect to add that the Tribune (in my judgment) ;;is… Read More

Philadelphia, 1854. Ninth plate ambrotypes in a union case, measuring 2 ½ x 2 ⅛ inches (visible) in larger case. With the identification of (Isaac) Rehn, with his imprint and "Patented July 4 & 11, 1854" imprinted on the case. A fine pair. A striking pair of ambrotypes of Mary and Moses Pennock, who were members of the Kennett Square Underground Railroad network as well as active members of the Kennett Square abolitionist and Quaker community. Moses was one of the founders of the Longwood Progressive Meeting. In R.C. Smedley's History of the Underground Railroad in Chester and Neighboring Counties of Pennsylvania, (Lancaster, Office of the Journal, 1883), the Pennocks are mentioned on p. 301 as working as part of the network surrounding Isaac and Thamazine Meredity. Their son Samuel, who would go on to secure important agricultural patents, is also mentioned twice. The images are notable from a photographic history perspective as well, as being early examples of the ambrotype process that had… Read More

Boston: Anti-Slavery Bazaar, 1849. Small broadside measuring 7 ¾ x 4 ½ inches printed on green wove paper. Some creases and a small tear at margin, near fine. Near Fine. The American Anti-Slavery Society hosted annual bazaars, which served as fundraisers, with money going to supporting the National Anti-Slavery Standard newspaper. Many women were involved with the event, and sold abolitionist items. Offered here is one such piece of ephemera from the 1849 fair, a poem written by an unknown author with the pen name "M." The poem was featured in the poetry section of The Liberator (January 26, 1849, Vol. XIX. No. 4.) with the description "The two following poetical effusions were written for the Anti-Slavery Bazaar, In Faneuil Hall, by friends of freedom in the old world." It reads: Ye friends of liberty, all hail! May your endeavours never fail In freedom's sacred cause! May blessings e'er attend your course, In striving to uproot all force, And stern oppression's laws! Yours is a noble task, my… Read More

Various Publishers. A collection of books from the library of Earnest Elmo Calkins, who had the twin distinctions of being a pioneer in the design of the modern advertising agency and also being one of the first prominent American deaf businessmen. Highlights of the collection include a copy of The Advertising Man inscribed to his business partner Ralph Holden, and his own personal revision copy of Modern Advertising. Also included are Calkins' On the Technique of Being Deaf and two other works by Calkins. Calkins, born in Illinois, was fully deaf by the time he was an adult. After a first failed stint in New York, he managed to get a job in advertising for a firm in Peoria and eventually made his way back to New York City, landing at the Bates agency after studying at the Pratt School of Design. Calkins, with another Bates employee, Ralph Holden, launched the immensely influential Calkins and Holden firm in 1902. "With Ralph Holden, a fellow employee at Bates, Calkins launched in 1902 the… Read More

Boston: John P. Jewett and Company, 1858. First Expanded, Second Overall. 8vo, publisher's blue cloth, xii, 212 pp. Some foxing and light wear, very good. Very Good. This is the first expanded and the second overall edition and first edition thus of Benson's autobiography, expanded by Henson from the 1849 edition after Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin led to an increased interest in Henson's life. Henson would expand his work further and publish another edition in 1876 as interest in his life continued. A nice copy in the original publisher's binding, also included is a custom open-top clamshell case made of boards and marbled paper, overall very attractive and well preserved.

Atlanta: The Student Voice, Inc, 1964. First Edition. 4to, each a single sheet folded, folded sheet measuring 8 1/2 x 11. Minimal wear, fine condition. Fine. The Student Voice was the weekly publication of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, during the height of the Civil Rights era. Because of the pace and volume of publications that SNCC was responsible for during the period, the SNCC's in-house printing operations were incorporated separately as The Student Voice, Inc., in 1963 after a donation of $15,000 allowed them to expand their productions. Mark Suckle and Wilson Browne, who had done most of the production work themselves up to this point, were then able to hire a full staff to assist with the production. The Student Voice was a highly important publication, providing information to SNCC allies, mostly in the north, of news events that local papers would not cover, and also assisting in the protection of SNCC workers and their local collaborators by exposing the… Read More

Fort Ethan Allen, 1910. Gelatin silver print mounted to board, 16 ¼ x 14 ½ inches. Fair to Good. The 10th Cavalry was one of the original "Buffalo Soldier" regiments of the post-Civil War segregated U.S. Army, first seeing action in the Indian Wars. Their band is shown here most likely during their stint at Fort Ethan Allen in Vermont. They are wearing a mix of insignia from 1902 to 1908, and some are shown in civilian clothing, which suggests the picture was taken in Vermont as this was during the time the Army used a vast mix of insignia, and the brick architecture of the background also matches that of the fort. They were exposed to some racism during their time in Vermont - the soldiers were punished for associating with neighboring white women, with some of the offenders being confined to the guardhouse for punishment, which fits with the strictly segregated Army policies of the time. The soldiers did also record positive aspects of their time at the fort, including studying at the fort's… Read More

Edinburgh: Scots Magazine, 1773. First Edition. 8vo, [450] - 504 pp, disbound from larger collected volume, complete. Contents fine, binding split, very good. The first appearance of Phyllis Wheatley's "On Maecenas," published in September, 1773, the same month that her Poems on Various Subjects was headed to the printer, and likely predating the form in its collected version. The introduction to the poem reads "The first, but not superior to some others of the negro girl Phillis Wheatley's poems." Poems on Various Subjects was printed in 1773, with some copies being sent to Boston on the Dartmouth, which was one of the targets of the Boston Tea Party - though the books were spared as the protesters were only interested in the tea onboard." In To Maecenas (1773) this black poet, whose writing and publishing activity was wholly unprecedented, tried on a series of identities she had encounteredin her reading of classical authors, in a transparent quest to identify and formulate a poetic persona… Read More

American, 1870. Ninth plate tintype measuring 3 x 1 ¾ inches in early tintype period paper mount. Excellent contrast. Very Good. A striking image of an African-American man, formally dressed in a bowtie and jacket with his hands on both hips. The mount is from the early tintype period, circa 1860s-1870s. Excellent exposure with fine contrast.

New York, 1920. First Edition. Gelatin silver print measuring 8 x 10 inches. Some editorial marks to verso, very good contrast, very good overall. Very Good. The Dunbar Apartments were one of the first developments built for African-Americans, in a period in which there was a shortage of housing in Harlem. John D. Rockefeller Jr. funded the project, which was completed in 1926-1928. Offered here is an uncommon period press photograph of the project dating from the period of the project's completion in the late 1920s. The verso reads " Dunbar Apts / New Rockefeller Apts / 149th + 7th Ave." A wooden cart and some original signage is visible on the surrounding streets.

France: None Stated, 1900. Postcard measuring 5 ½ x 3 ⅝ inches. Fine condition. Fine. Woody Headspeth - known also as Woody Hadspath or Hedspath, as is written here - was an African-American cyclist who raced mostly in France due to racial prejudice in the United States. Headspeth raced until he was 50 years old in France, working as a mechanic on tracks, and sometimes for Victor Linart. He was in France at the time of the German occupation, and fled to Portugal, where he would die of typhus and tuberculosis. While we can't date this photograph exactly, Headspeth looks to be roughly the same age as other known photographs from his early period in Europe c. 1900-1910.

Asheville, 1920. Silver gelatin print measuring 8 x 10 inches. Some stains and wear, information on verso, good condition. Good. A photograph of the staff at Asheville's historic Grove Park Inn, taken c. 1910-1920 by the photographer Herbert W. Pelton, who operated a studio in Asheville and took many pictures around the region. Among the staff pictured is William Prince Brooks, who was active in the AME Zion church and who served as head waiter at the inn. The hotel was furnished by the Roycrofters and was built in the Arts and Crafts style. Still operation, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Newburgh: Abel A. Peck, 1860. 3 ½ x 2 ¼ albumen print on larger mount. Good. A carte-de-visite copy of a folk art painting probably painted c. 1820s-1830s. William Seymore (1786-1846) was a Methodist minister in Bellvale, New York. Edward Ruttenber and L.H. Clark, in their 1881 History of Orange County, describe him as follows: "In 1817, William Seymour, a colored man, was licensed to exhort; afterwards he was given a local preacher's license, and for many years preached in the vicinity of Bellvale. As one of the first laborers under God, his name is remembered by some still living in this place. His home, while here, was at the house of William Wisner. His portrait, gift of Mr. Samuel Wilson, is in the Bellvale parsonage. William Seymour died at the house of Isaac Still, in the town of Monroe. He retired for the night, after a very happy meeting during the evening in the place, and when called for breakfast he was found dead in the bed. The Master came, his work ended, and he entered into rest."… Read More

Mostly Atlanta, 1950. Leatherette album measuring 12 x 9 inches. With over 225 images, most 4 ½ x 2 ¾ inches. Very well preserved and nearly complete with three empty slots, about fine overall. Near Fine. A compelling visual record of the childhood of Mable Williams of Atlanta, Georgia, a high school student at Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta, the first public high school for African-American students in the state. Williams graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1953, per a newspaper article included here, and would attend Spelman College. Composed mostly of snapshot photographs of her friends and family, as a group the album provides a visual record of a vibrant network of family and friends in Atlanta during the time period. The album begins with a picture showing her as a girl, alongside a picture of a house, perhaps hers, and traces her life through early adulthood through snapshots and family photographs. We find records of Williams performing at the Greater Atlanta… Read More

Pennsylvania and France, 1910. Five Cabinet Card Photographs and one Mounted Photograph taken at the L. Vasseur Studio in Paris. Generally fine condition, one cabinet card with chips to mount. Near Fine. A small but very compelling group of images recovered from a family collection, documenting an African-American family from Pennsylvania. Five of the images bear no identification, one states on verso: "Mrs. Harriet Oskins / died at the age / of 112." Most of the photographs are taken at various Pennsylvania locations including Philadelphia, Allentown, New Lebanon and Lehighton. We find record of an A.H. and McCleary Oskins and family listed as African-American in the Philadelphia census records from 1910. Of particular note is a photograph of an African- American serviceman and presumed family member taken at a Paris studio. It's a particularly striking image, and the first formal portrait of an African-American taken in a French studio during WWI that we have encountered. Overall a visually… Read More

Florida, 1890. Five bromide photographs measuring ;;4 3/4" by 4" mounted on a 13 ¾ x 10 ¾ album leaf. Excellent contrast, near fine overall. A collection of five images showing scenes along the Ocklawaha river in the 1890s. The Ocklawaha had been a popular steamboat route in the nineteenth century, though with the advent of the Oclala railroad in 1881, the route became less traveled. These images are from this later period, in the 1890s, making these images of African-American subjects in the area quite uncommon. Three of the images show subjects in front of their homes, a fourth shows several workers in a cotton field, and the final image shows an alligator on the shore of the river.

Chicago: National Half Century Anniversary Exposition and Lincoln Jubilee, 1915. Felt pennant measuring 38 x 15 inches. Lettering slightly faded, very good condition overall. In celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Lincoln's death, the city of Chicago hosted the National Half Century Anniversary Exposition and Lincoln Jubilee, to celebrate emancipation and the cultural achievements of African-Americans. The event was held at the Coliseum on August 23 - September 22, 1915. The Illinois legislature appropriated $75,000 for the month-long celebration. Seventeen states appointed African American delegates to attend the event as representatives. Delegates from other countries participated as well. Bishop Samuel Fallows, the English-born clergyman and Union Army Colonel, spent a decade promoting and organizing the event, urging states such as New York to appoint representatives, and encouraging Chicago's religious leaders to attend. Several hundred pastors from African-American churches did attend,… Read More